lotuspetal7

I did this. I'm applying to programs in Japanese while my undergrad is in music. I wrote on a literary work that hasn't been significantly analyzed at all, only annotated. And I had no one I even could have shown the paper to as my recommendations are a mix of people who can testify to my past work in English literature and people who can testify to my Japanese language level, no one who knows anything about Japanese literature specifically. So I was all alone! I know the feeling of paranoia. I think my paper is probably either quite original in a good way, or else kind of wacko. I just took the risk hoping it's the former! It's funny about your old prof staring at you in a meaningful way. I could imagine the moment

i'm applying to east asian programs too! Most of the programs I'm applying to do require a writing sample, and like you my undergrad degree was unrelated (music!) so I wrote a new paper for the purpose. If you have time you might want to consider doing the same thing. I'm not sure it'll help you to submit a writing sample that's unrelated to the field AND is a paper you don't have complete confidence in. Good luck!

OK, I'll do that then. Thank you so much!

OK. Thanks so much for the advice. You think it's important to call as opposed to emailing? I'll be out of the country in early January so calling will be inconvenient.

oh dear. If I were going to do that I should have scanned and uploaded a transcript online before submitting my application. And I already submitted it. So they will realize I was going on the assumption that my home institution transcript is enough. I guess all I can do now is wait to see if I'm told differently... s***.

I just hit "submit" on my Harvard application, the last of the six! Would be feeling great but I discovered a possible issue at the last minute. I studied abroad for a year. All course names and grades from study abroad DO appear on my home institution transcript. I thought I had checked with every school I'm applying to about whether my home institution transcript would be sufficient, but at the last minute I realized I may not have asked Harvard and the instructions say official transcripts are required from every institution attended. No exception mentioned for study abroad programs. (All the other schools did say it was OK as long as the grades were on the home institution transcript.) I contacted my study abroad institution's transcript office to see if they could rush a transcript for me, and sure enough they are out on winter break. The Harvard deadline is this Saturday so there was nothing I could do by then, and I had to just submit the application hoping for the best. What are the chances that my application will actually not be reviewed because of this issue? Anyone have any idea? I hope that if it's a problem they'll just inform me I'm missing a required document. My application is otherwise extremely well prepared, and the program to which I'm applying (Regional Studies East Asia) is a small program that receives only about 120 applications a year. I hope they won't throw my application out! The Harvard instructions and application are slightly messy compared to some such as Yale's. (for one thing the application inspector on the financial aid app was all messed up and apparently not updated from last year's application!) Study abroad transcripts are not specifically addressed, and where you list every institution you have attended, there is a place under each institution where they ask "Have you uploaded a transcript?" You can say "no" here and still have your application pass the inspector. So it's a bit confusing, and I'm not completely sure whether it's even a problem or not. I did do a web search and found an FAQ page for the Harvard Graduate School of Education where they state that study abroad transcripts are required even if grades appear on the home institution transcript. Don't know whether all rules would be the same between the GSE and the GSAS, though I guess they probably are... :-(